112-476: The Forests Commission Victoria ( FCV ) was the main government authority responsible for management and protection of State forests in Victoria , Australia between 1918 and 1983. The Commission was responsible for ″forest policy, prevention and suppression of bushfires, issuing leases and licences, planting and thinning of forests, the development of plantations, reforestation, nurseries, forestry education,
224-506: A Royal Commission on Foreign Industries and Forests in 1872, included a recommendation for the establishment of a State nursery near Macedon railway station "with the object of raising useful timber trees for distribution to selectors, and for the planting of reserves denuded of indigenous timber". Ferguson then established the first State Nursery at Macedon in 1872. By 1871 the Australian Natives Association (ANA)
336-488: A century. Among the more important samples are the specimens prepared by Government Botanist Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller in 1874 and Dr James Hamlyn Willis , who studied at VSF from 1928 to 1930 and went on to become one of the school's most successful and respected graduates. A large collection of other artifacts, documents, glass slides and photos is housed at the school. A number of notable graduates from VSF Creswick made significant contributions towards understanding
448-602: A complete bridge across a narrow ravine" .... William Ferguson, The Melbourne Age, February 1872. In 1976, a monument was unveiled by the Hon Jim Balfour to the "World's Tallest Tree" near Thorpdale which in 1884 was measured by a surveyor, George Cornthwaite at 375 feet after it had been chopped down. This account was reported in the Victorian Field Naturalist many years later in July 1918 and
560-503: A continuous column of water up against the forces of gravity. The crowns of the tallest trees need to lift sap more than 10 times the surrounding atmospheric pressure by combining the complex physics of capillary action and leaf transpiration of the water pathway known as the Soil Plant Atmosphere Continuum . Contrary to popular belief, tree roots do not pump water. There had long been recognition of
672-604: A direct shell landing in their midst, although it is often more colourfully reported that he was shot "when dashing out of his dugout to rescue a bottle of rum" on New Year's Eve. A number of VSF graduates volunteered for military service in WW2 with some joining units deployed to the UK and other places as forestry companies in the Royal Australian Engineers (RAE) and served with distinction to produce timber for
784-455: A few months of each other, Victoria and South Australia started forestry schools but took paths that reflected their roots. Western Australia and NSW also started forestry schools at Ludlow and Narara in the 1920s but these schools only lasted for a few years. An Australian Forestry School (AFS) was first mooted in 1916 and later established, initially in Adelaide in 1926, before moving to
896-412: A forestry position without completing a relevant course and passing a special examination, thus paving the way for the establishment of a forestry school. The Victorian School of Forestry (VSF) at Creswick was established in 1910 and was located at the old hospital which had been built in 1863 during the gold rush. The creation of VSF was one of the many recommendations of the 1901 Royal Commission and
1008-721: A height of five feet above the ground and at 10 feet up its circumference was still 50 feet. He estimated its height to be 287 feet (20 feet shorter than his earlier 1895 measurements). There was some debate from the Healesville Tourism Association during this period about its name but either way the Mueller – Furmston Tree was a popular destination inside the Melbourne Water closed catchments until it collapsed in about 2000. Recent measurements between 2000 and 2002 of over 200 of Victoria's trees found
1120-438: A large "demonstration forest" of some 1200 acres set aside within a mile of the campus with native forests and softwood plantations which already exceed 800 acres, together with a large forest nursery established by John La Gerche in the late 1800s. In addition to rigorous academic study, VSF had a very strong focus on preparing students suited to Victorian conditions and on acquiring practical skills of forestry. Horsemanship
1232-525: A new Chairman of the commission was appointed and Alan Threader took a lead role in cementing the new arrangement. As part of the agreement, the Commission ceased offering its Diploma course on condition that the university taught two years of its four-year degree course at Creswick. In the transition period, twelve VSF students completed their first year of the Diploma course in 1979 then transferred to
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#17327811081241344-790: A position as senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne in 1958 he was recruited to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in 1963 to lead forestry projects in Nigeria before ending up in Rome in 1968. He also presided over the International Tropical Timbers Organisation (ITTO) and International Union of Foresters before receiving an honorary doctorate from
1456-597: A separate, single-discipline institution after 1978 and pointedly proposed an amalgamation with the rapidly expanding Ballarat College of Advanced Education (formally the School of Mines). Meanwhile, there had been a long association, with some friendly academic and personal rivalries, between VSF, the Forests Commission and the University of Melbourne. So after a period of tumultuous negotiation between two strong minded intellectuals, Dr Frank Moulds, Chairman of
1568-521: A state forest varies between countries and the quality of the landscape it covers. In many places, state forests are divided into land for logging plantations, area for conservation , area for livestock grazing , and area for visitor recreation . As an example, in the state of California , the Redwood National and State Parks are a string of protected forests, beaches, and grasslands along Northern California's coast; these are owned by both
1680-400: A storm later in 1959. The tallest tree on the plot was reduced from 301.5 feet to about 276 feet after a large part of its crown was damaged. Another major storm on 21 December 1973 reduced it further to 267 feet. The Chairman of the Forests Commission, Alfred Vernon Galbraith studied mountain ash for his Diploma of Forestry (Vic) and wrote in 1937 that "they can make serious claims to be
1792-504: A system of supervised practical work or were appointed from work crews. Entrance to the school was by competitive examination for boys between fourteen and sixteen years of sound health and good moral character. The school was later officially opened at a ceremony on 26 May 1913 by Hugh Mackay, Conservator of Forests. Regulations were gazetted in September 1914 to enable trainees at the school to be paid £48 in their first year, £52 in
1904-474: A wide diversity of native forest, dominated by eucalyptus (often known as gum trees). These forests contain many diverse habitats and include those found in the cool, mountainous, high rainfall areas in the east of the state, and in the Otways and Strzelecki Ranges near the coast. These wet forests are dominated by stands of alpine ash , messmate , shining gum and mountain ash (the tallest hardwood tree in
2016-557: A wide range of harvesting techniques such as clear-felling through to single tree selection. Much of the early silvicultural knowledge was unsuccessfully translated from Europe so in response to some difficulties achieving satisfactory regrowth after harvesting the Commission pioneered much of the early scientific research into the biology of the eucalypts and developed many innovative operational techniques for high intensity slash burning, aerial seeding, planting, thinning and tending. This commitment to silvicultural research continued throughout
2128-406: Is influenced by species, genetics, age, stand density, soil type and depth, rainfall, aspect, altitude, protection from wind and snow damage, fire history and insect attack. Scientists believe that trees have a theoretical maximum height of 130 m (430 ft), even though there are many historical accounts of taller trees. The main physiological factor limiting tree height is its ability to suck
2240-529: Is often considered the most reliable record of Victoria's tallest tree. The public remained fascinated by large trees and to celebrate the Melbourne Centennial Exhibition in 1888 offered a reward for the tallest tree. Parliamentarian and exhibition organiser, James Munro personally offered an additional £100 for anyone who could locate a tree taller than 400 feet. No such tree was ever found. The tallest tree reliably measured for
2352-473: The Argus Newspaper took up the cause of ‘protecting our forests’ arguing the substantial benefits of timber production, avoiding the wasting of soil, conserving natural streams, avoiding adverse climate impacts and beneficially distributing storm runoff. Later on 16 September 1869, the first "Overseer of Forests and Crown Land Bailiff ", William Ferguson was appointed. The second progress report of
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#17327811081242464-485: The CSIRO and Universities, local government, the private sector, interstate and overseas. For seven decades from 1910 to 1980, small groups of young men, as few as 6 and up to 20, but usually 10–12, took three-year residential courses graduating with forestry diplomas. Over time the title of the qualifications conferred at Creswick evolved. Early students were granted a School Certificate, but later an Associate Diploma of
2576-610: The Geographical Society accompanied by renowned photographer John William Lindt who also was the owner of "The Hermitage" guesthouse on the Black's Spur . The tree was then "rediscovered" and renamed by Mr Harold Furmston, an employee of the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works in the 1930s. It was remeasured once again by Mr A. D. Hardy in 1933 who proclaimed it to be still in good health, 62 feet in circumference at
2688-693: The Great War including the famous hero at both Gallipoli and the Western Front – Albert Jacka , VC. Servicemen returning from the First World War renewed pressure on forest clearing with the expansion of various soldier settlement schemes. Between 1903 and 1928 the Crown estate was significantly reduced down to about one third of the State or 8.6 million hectares. Victoria is blessed with
2800-519: The Legislative Council which was dominated by pastoral and grazing interests and which had resisted land reform. Berry's election manifesto proposed a punitive land tax designed to break up the squatter class's great pastoral properties – about 800 men at this time owned most of Victoria's grazing lands. But separately, in a bold and visionary political move, the management of 157,000 hectares of Melbourne's forested water catchments of
2912-624: The Royal Australian Navy as a submariner where he was seriously wounded. After recuperating from his injuries and returning to Taggerty, Mansfield and then Beech Forest he completed a forestry degree at the University of Melbourne in 1948. He left the Commission in 1951 to join Australian Paper Manufacturers (APM) in the Latrobe Valley to establish their new pulpwood plantations. Later taking up
3024-722: The U.S. federal government and the State of California . Victorian School of Forestry The Victorian School of Forestry (VSF) was established in October 1910 at Creswick , in the Australian state of Victoria . It was located at the former Creswick Hospital, built in 1863 during the gold rush . The creation of VSF was one of the many recommendations of a Royal Commission held between 1897 and 1901 into forest degradation . The first tertiary forestry school in Australia, VSF
3136-546: The world's tallest living tree is a Sequoia sempervirens , named the Hyperion , discovered in California in 2006. It is believed to be between 700 and 800 years old and was measured at 380.3 feet. Silviculture is defined as the art and science of controlling the establishment, health, growth, quality, protection and use of forests. It can involve a range of treatments such as planting, seeding, thinning, together with
3248-541: The 1880s including a plot of ponderosa pine that had been planted for sailing ship masts . Prior to 1967, VSF had been wholly funded by the Victorian Government through the Forests Commission which was responsible for its day-to-day administration. Commonwealth funding was then made available, but in 1975 the Commonwealth indicated that it was no longer prepared to continue funding for Creswick as
3360-416: The 1918 Act are thought to have been derived from the earlier 1907 legislation and include: Significantly, the new legislation provided for the establishment of a Forestry Fund so the Commission could raise its own revenue from timber sales and enter into loans and therefore give it some capacity to implement its own policies and programs. Revenue from timber royalties and other sources grew five-fold within
3472-466: The 1960s, academic research expanded into areas such as soils, entomology and pathogenic threats to forests, hydrology and as well as fire research. Later in the 1970s, wildlife research, landscape management, economics and recreation demand. One of the unforeseen and long term consequences of the dispute with Charles Lane Pool in the 1930s, combined with the rebuff from the Institute of Foresters,
Forests Commission Victoria - Misplaced Pages Continue
3584-507: The 1960s. The twentieth century had started optimistically with the Federation of Australia , but co-operation between the states was hesitant. The leaders of the small state forest agencies met in 1911 and recommended that Australia needed to conserve sufficient forests and start plantations. Although they had already established forestry organisations as best they could, they needed better ways of recruiting and training foresters. Within
3696-626: The 1980s a Forestry, Agriculture or an Earth Science qualification like geomorphology was the traditional tertiary pathway into a land management career. Over time, many VSF graduates left the Forests Commission and went on to establish notable careers in other fields with the National Park Service, Fisheries and Wildlife, Alpine Resorts, Country Fire Authority , Soil Conservation Authority, LandCare , Land Conservation Council, Melbourne Water , teaching at tertiary institutions, consultancy, environmental NGO's , research organisations like
3808-883: The Canberra suburb of Yarralumla in 1927 under the Commonwealth Department of National Development. Students undertaking the first two years of an appropriately designed science course at their (then sole) State University and then proceeding to Canberra to undertake a Diploma course over two years. The home university granted a Bachelor of Science in Forestry degree. Sixteen students representing all states, including Alf Lawrence from Victoria, were enrolled in 1926. Lecturing staff included Norman William Jolly , Charles Earnest Carter (ex Principal of VSF), Hugh Richard Gray and A. Rule while Charles Edward Lane Poole acted as Principal. The prestigious Schlich Medal
3920-681: The Diploma of Forestry, Victoria (Dip For Vic) targeted mostly for Associate Diploma graduates who, after serving for three years in the department, submitted an acceptable thesis on an approved forestry subject to the Board of Forestry Education. Also because of the Victorian Public Service Board (PSB) rules that prevailed at the time, many Associate Diploma holders employed by the Forests Commission held fears about jobs and promotions going to graduates with Degrees and their ability to work interstate. The Dip For Vic qualification
4032-478: The Forests Commission in 1956 and was later awarded an OBE for his outstanding services to forestry and scouting in 1969. While there were many distinguished graduates of VSF, Alfred (Alf) John Leslie stands out as a true international forester. After graduation in 1941 and a short stint with the Forests Commission on the Toorongo Plateau near Noojee supervising the 1939 bushfire salvage, he served in
4144-639: The Forests Commission, (and ex Principal of VSF), and the Dean of the University Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Dr John Harding Chinner (who attended VSF and graduated as dux in 1931, Rhodes Scholar - 1939), an agreement was finally reached whereby the university took over the administration of VSF at the end of 1980, using both the Creswick and its main Parkville (Melbourne) campus. In 1978,
4256-500: The Forests Commission. In another development, the Forestry School added a Certificate of Applied Science course in 1977 for forest overseers already employed by the commission. Temporary accommodation huts were built at the rear of the school affectionately known as Siberia. In addition to many historic buildings, museums, herbaria and other collections have long been present at the school. In 1912, only three years after
4368-455: The Hill", was located at the former Creswick hospital which was built in 1863. The buildings and grounds were purchased for £1,163 7s 3d in 1909 by the Victorian Government and refurbished at the instigation of John Johnstone, (Superintendent of State Plantations), the direction of Donald McLeod , (Minister of Forests, 1904–1909) together with Sir Peter McBride (Minister of Forests, 1909–1913) and
4480-476: The House in 1895, it was "so frank and outspoken that it has never been published". I am very unfavourably impressed with the state of the forests .... I am surprised that some effectual measures have not been taken to prevent further waste .... present arrangements are quite puerile and so ill-conceived that they can scarcely be discussed Later on 14 June 1888, the first Conservator of Forests, George Samuel Perrin
4592-729: The Imperial Forest Service. His report prompted yet another Royal Commission which commenced in 1897 and produced 14 separate reports before closing in 1901. "State forest conservancy and management are in an extraordinary backward state" .... Inspector-General Berthold Ribbentrop, Imperial Forest Service – 1896. Departmental restructuring and uncertainty is not new. Between 1856 and 1907 the responsibility for administration of Victoria's forest estate shunted back and forth at least eleven times between three Government Departments including Lands and Survey, Agriculture and Mines. In 1900 State forests were still commonly regarded by
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4704-478: The Principal. He remained Principal until 1926. It was a joint effort with the students. Significantly, it was decided by Mr Carter and the students that the institution at Creswick should be a School rather than a college. So it could have easily been VCF. The motto Circumspice, which is Latin for “look around you”, was suggested by Mr Carter who believed that foresters should always be observant. The plant in
4816-487: The School of Forestry, Creswick (A Dip For Cres) was awarded. In 1969 regulations were introduced to rename the award the Diploma of Forestry, Creswick (Dip For Cres). Earlier Associate Diploma qualifications were also upgraded in this process. Around the same time as Victoria split from the Australian Forestry School in Canberra in the 1930s, the Board of Examiners created a more senior award called
4928-423: The School, nursery, plantation and proposed Arboretum, and toasted the great endeavour. The Victorian School of Forestry was the first institution of its kind in Australia. VSF was a residential school having the old hospital wards available as classrooms, well equipped kitchen and nurses quarters and other rooms suitable for staff and student accommodation. Originally called "Pednolva" school classes began in
5040-679: The State Government's first "Overseer of Forests and Crown Land Bailiff " who was appointed in 1869. In a letter written in the Melbourne Age newspaper from Ferguson to the Assistant Commissioner of Crown Lands, Clement Hodgkinson , dated 22 February 1872 he reported trees in great number and exceptional size in the Watts River catchment but his account is often disputed as unreliable. "Some places, where
5152-411: The University of Melbourne in 1994 in recognition for his services to international forestry. In the immediate postwar period VSF flourished as the Forests Commission increased its intake of graduates to meet the demands on Victoria's forest resources and the timber needs of the housing boom. Traditionally, VSF had been promoted as a "gateway to a man's career" with the first group of women entering
5264-532: The University of Melbourne such as John Harding Chinner. Students generally entered the school on fully funded scholarships and were "bonded" to work for the Forests Commission for a period of three years upon completion of their Diplomas, in what often turned out to be “a-career-for-life”. VSF scholarships were keenly sought as they offered a tertiary education for students from modest backgrounds, like Alfred (Alf) Oscar Lawrence who graduated from Creswick in 1922, undertook forest assessment and mapping surveys in
5376-612: The Upper Yarra were vested in the Melbourne and Metropolitan Board of Works (MMBW) in 1891 but with a controversial closed catchment policy where timber harvesting and public access was not permitted. Perhaps exemplifying the influence of Indian forestry throughout the British Empire , in 1895 the Commissioner of Crown Lands and Survey, Sir Robert Wallace Best , invited Inspector-General Berthold Ribbentrop , from
5488-634: The VSF Diploma course after the Commonwealth started its national Australian Forestry School in 1926, partly due to an acrimonious dispute with the Commonwealth Inspector-General of Forestry and Principal of the School, Charles Edward Lane Poole , over the standard of the Victorian foresters. The Institute of Foresters of Australia, founded in 1935, was also racked over its refusal to grant full membership to foresters holding
5600-596: The VSF opened, a botany laboratory and a geology museum were founded with a larger museum officially established in 1929. Today the VSF Herbarium is considered to be one of the most significant sub-collections in the Creswick Collection. It is estimated that the herbarium contains 10,000 specimens, representing between 2,500 and 3,000 different species of plants, fungi and insects, collected over more than
5712-673: The Victorian Diploma. However, the first twenty years of the Australian Forestry School proved difficult. The Great Depression , the Second World War, the states’ suspicions of the Commonwealth, and the abrasive manner of the school's head, Charles Lane Poole, all acted to reduce the number of students being sent there; one year there were none and several times during the war years it was nearly closed. Upon Lane Poole's retirement in January 1945 Dr Maxwell Ralph Jacobs
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#17327811081245824-570: The Victorian School of Forestry. They received valued support from Governor-General Sir Ronald Munro-Ferguson during the war years over political interference in forest management, securing adequate funding, reducing waste, expanding softwood plantations and addressing growing international concern at impending timber shortages. The new Forest Act (1907) also recognised that effective management of forests required appropriately skilled staff, stipulating that no person could be appointed to
5936-490: The Water Supply Dept in 1889, it was found to be only 219 feet 9 inches. Its girth had also shrunk from 114 feet to 48 feet. Poor measurement techniques in thick scrub may partly explain the anomalies. In 1982, Ken Simpendorfer, a senior officer with the Forests Commission undertook a search of official Victorian archives. He unearthed a forgotten report from more than a century ago and a claim by William Ferguson,
6048-720: The Yarra Valley, Otways and Dandenong Ranges reaching "half a thousand feet". Doyle was later savagely criticised by Melbourne newspapers in 1889 about a tree he had named "The Baron" in homage to his friend von Mueller. The tree was growing at Sassafras Gully in the Dandenong Ranges and Doyle had initially measured it in 1879 at 522 feet tall. It was later remeasured for the Melbourne exhibition in 1888 where it had reduced in size to 466 feet. However, when properly measured by Commissioner Perrin and surveyor Mr Fuller from
6160-597: The budget allocation was a paltry £4000. La Gerche established a nursery at Sawpit Gully in 1887 near what is now the Victorian School of Forestry at Creswick. He went onto become one of the founding Inspectors in the new State Forest Department in 1907. At the urging of the Governor of Victoria , Lord Henry Brougham Loch , who had served in Bengal cavalry and maintained an interest in forests, and had seen there
6272-431: The campus, and a timber trade training centre was established nearby. Later in 1982, saw the appointment of Ian Ferguson as Foundation Professor of Forest Science. The school celebrated its centenary in 2010 and while the tempo has slowed the Creswick campus remains a major center of Australian forest science. The colours and emblem for the Victorian School of Forestry were designed in 1916 when Charlie Carter became
6384-466: The conservation and aesthetic values of Victoria's large forest trees. As early as 1866 Baron Ferdinand Von Mueller , the Government botanist published some astonishing, and probably exaggerated claims of a mountain ash ( Eucalyptus regnans – monarch of the eucalypts) on the Black's Spur near Healesville being 480 feet high. There were reports from nurseryman David Boyle and others of trees in
6496-807: The conservation of the states forests which had all been brought unsuccessfully before the Victorian Parliament. It was not until the former British colonies combined in 1901 to become the states of a Federal Australia that a Victorian Forest Bill was finally passed. Despite spirited opposition by agricultural and grazing interests the Forest Act (1907) No. 2095 finally constituted the State Forest Department (SFD) which came into effect on 1 January 1908, formally setting aside timber reserves and providing for rehabilitation after mining and logging. The first Conservator of Forests
6608-431: The design is Acacia mollissima (black wattle) the bark of which was used extensively as a source of tannin used in the leather industry at the time. The boomerang beneath the crown was incorporated as another Australian element. This information was provided in a letter dated March 1973 to the Principal at VSF, Alan Eddy by Sibley Elliott who was a student in 1916 when the emblem was designed. The following table lists
6720-461: The development of commercial timber harvesting and marketing of produce, building and maintaining forest roads, provision of recreation facilities, protection of water, soils and wildlife, forest research and making recommendations on the acquisition or alienation of land for forest purposes″. The Forests Commission had a long and proud history of innovation and of managing Victoria's State forests but in September 1983 lost its discrete identity when it
6832-404: The ecology of Victoria's forests. The school is set on 15 hectares of grounds with many unique specimen trees. A seedling of Pinus brutia was propagated from the original tree at Lone Pine at Gallipoli and planted in the grounds on 23 March 1975. The tree was the sole survivor of a group that had been cut down by Turkish soldiers to cover their trenches with the timber and branches during
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#17327811081246944-830: The exhibition was the "New Turkey Tree" reported to be near Mt Baw Baw (but probably closer to Noojee on the New Turkey Spur which is not far from the Ada Tree) at 326 feet 1 inch with a girth of 25 feet and 7 inches. Around the turn of the century, Nicholas John Caire named and photographed many on Victoria's remaining giant trees including King Edward VII at Marysville. Some of his photos were displayed in Victorian Railways carriages and made into postcards. However, by this time most of largest and straightest trees had already been removed by timber splitters . A more authoritative list "Giant Trees of Victoria"
7056-475: The ferocious battle in 1915 . A plaque was also unveiled by Legacy to commemorate soldiers who fought in WW1. A grove of trees was planted in 2009 in front of Tremearne House to honour a famous student from the 1940s, Alfred Leslie. HRH Prince Charles stayed overnight at VSF during his visit on 28 October 1974 and planted a Eucalyptus leucoxylon (yellow gum) near the science laboratory. The school also had
7168-423: The first five years. The Commission was also authorised to recruit, employ and manage its own staff. Prior to the 1918 legislation, forest areas were reserved by the Minister of Lands and Agriculture who was also responsible for alienating Crown Land for farming and towns. There were obvious conflicts in administering these competing responsibilities. As a result, permanent forest reservation was slow and limited for
7280-410: The forestry school in 1976. Between 1910 and 1980 a total of 592 students entered the VSF to undertake studies towards the Diploma of Forestry and of these 522 completed the course. In later years, most VSF Diploma graduates went on to further studies at Melbourne University and other tertiary institutes. Over the years, several students did not complete the Diploma course but also found employment with
7392-400: The forests is being used to find remaining stands of tall trees. The tallest regrowth mountain ash in Victoria is currently named Artemis which can be found near Beenak at 302 feet (92 m) while the Ada Tree at 236 feet (72 m) is thought to be between 350 and 450 years old, but with a senescent crown and is a popular tourist destination in State forest east of Powelltown . Australia's
7504-486: The general public, and by most of their parliamentary representatives, as the inexhaustible "wastelands of the Crown" and ready for disposal via alienation into freehold property for the purposes of agricultural settlement. For nearly 50 years there had been Government inquiries, three independent reports from D'A. Vincent (1887), Perrin (1890), Ribbentrop (1895), the Royal Commission (1897–1901) together with impassioned speeches and separate pieces of legislation calling for
7616-419: The gold mining industry, devouring over one million tons of firewood. In October 1882, the pioneering forester John la Gerche was appointed as one of sixteen Crown Lands Bailiffs and Foresters within the Agriculture Branch of the Department of Lands. Their appointment held out a promise to end the forest destruction under the 1884 Land Act which recognised the significance of forests for public purposes but
7728-406: The house built in 1881 for Dr John Tremearne, who had been the resident medical officer at the Creswick Hospital from 1872 to 1888, but later moved up the hill to the old hospital building. The forests surrounding Creswick had been thoroughly cut over during the gold mining era from the 1850s until around 1900. The forester John La Gerche was placed in charge of the forest land around Creswick in
7840-436: The idea expressed by Conservator Frederick D'A. Vincent from the Imperial Forest Service in India after his inspection of Victorian forestry in 1887. It was then reiterated by George Samuel Perrin, the first Conservator of Forests, in 1890, that a training school was necessary because overseas forestry staff, if available, could not "adapt themselves to the new and strange conditions of forestry in this country". His suggestion
7952-475: The late 1880s. He established a State nursery at nearby Sawpit Gully in 1888 to aid the revegetation of the forests around Creswick. Land rehabilitation and the need to create softwood resources meant that some of the first plantations of radiata pine were established around 1900 and became part of the school demonstration forest. In the early years, practical training was completed under the direction of John Johnstone, Superintendent of State Plantations. Johnstone
8064-424: The life of the Commission. State forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by a sovereign or federated state , or territory . State forests are forests that are administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federated state , or territory . The precise application of the terms vary by jurisdiction. For example: The purpose of
8176-522: The mid-1940s, under the stewardship of the Chairman of the Forests Commission, Alfred Vernon Galbraith , students from Creswick extended their studies at the University of Melbourne to gain a Bachelor of Forest Science after the university established its own Forestry School in 1938. The two institutions worked well together and eventually, the Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Melbourne
8288-493: The native forest which had suffered from indiscriminate cutting. However, frustrated at the lack of progress in forestry and broader forest conservation, several foresters and scientists formed the Australian Forest League (AFL) in 1912 which stayed active for the next 34 years. The inaugural President was notable botanist, Professor Alfred James Ewart from Melbourne University, who oversaw the curriculum at
8400-580: The nearby Ballarat School of Mines who focussed solely on basic sciences. Mr Thomas Stephan Hart, formerly Professor of Geology and Mining, was appointed Senior Master in May 1913. The academic standard of the course was ensured by a Board of Examiners headed by the Professor of Botany at Melbourne University, Professor Alfred James Ewart (1872–1937). The initial class of six students that commenced in October 1910 were already in training as foresters under
8512-503: The period of Victoria's first seven decades. Reservations had been made in 1862, 1873, 1898 and 1903 and the Conservator of Forests, George Perrin, reported the total forested area in 1888 was 4.8 million ha most of which was inaccessible. Only a small proportion was permanently reserved, and some was in Melbourne water supply catchments closed to harvesting and visitors. Twenty Forests Commission employees are known to have enlisted in
8624-439: The profitability of their mining interests than forest conservation. The miners selfishly wanted well-regulated state forest reserves to ensure a plentiful future supply of mining timbers at reasonable prices. In 1871, local Forest Boards attempted to exercise some control, however the task of regulating wasteful clearing proved formidable and they were abolished in 1876. By 1873 it was estimated that were some 1150 steam engines in
8736-494: The progress being made at the Forestry School. Nine VSF students are known to have enlisted in the Great War and one of the first graduates of the school, Reginald Graham Lindsay, (brother of famous Australian artist and writer, Norman Lindsay ), joined 22nd Australian Field Artillery Brigade but was killed in action in France on 31 December 1916. Reg was queuing with four other soldiers for rations when they were all killed by
8848-516: The red gum forests along the Murray River before studying at Oxford in 1934 on a Russell Grimwade prize. Upon his return, he was appointed Fire Protection Officer during a difficult period following the disastrous 1939 bushfires and set about developing a highly organised fire fighting force, including introducing modern equipment such as powered pumps, aircraft, and a statewide radio communications network. Alf Lawrence rose to become Chairman of
8960-539: The results of forest management under the great European foresters Brandis , Schlich and Ribbentrop , the Government invited Conservator Frederick D'A. Vincent from the Imperial Forest Service in India to visit in 1887 and make recommendations. But to seek advice was one thing; to take it was another, and while Vincent's scathing report was available to subsequent inquiries and was eventually tabled in
9072-549: The school became the first of its kind in Australia. In December 1918, a comprehensive amendment to the Forests Act created the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) with three Commissioners to lead a new independent organisation. The new Commission first met on 1 October 1919 and the chairman was a young Welsh Forester, Owen Jones while the first Minister was William Hutchinson . The key principals of
9184-485: The second year and £56 in the third, with £45 being deducted to cover board, lodging and tuition. Upon graduation, students were appointed as cadet foresters to the Forests Commission Victoria . In 1914, the British Association met in Australia and among the many distinguished visitors was Sir David Ernest Hutchins , a graduate of the École nationale des eaux et forêts at Nancy in France. Hutchins
9296-674: The second year of the Degree course at Melbourne University in 1980. But the era of vocational training in government institutions gave way to university education and the generous fully funded scholarships from the Forests Commission came to an end. VSF was then renamed the School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences but retained a basic degree structure, increased the variety of courses, again including diplomas, and greatly extending research, from honours and masters projects to PhDs and post-doctoral level. Numerous international students studied at Creswick, other faculties and organisations also used
9408-460: The status-quo and introducing restrictive forest legislation. Matters had come to a head previously on Black Wednesday (9 January 1878) when the State Government sacked over 300 senior public servants and judges suddenly overnight without warning. The sackings were in part directed at the desire of the Premier, Graham Berry , to penalise those in the public service who backed the intransigence of
9520-562: The subsequent three decades. Responsibilities are currently split between the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) , Parks Victoria , Melbourne Water , Alpine Resorts Commission, the State Government-owned commercial entity VicForests and the privately owned Hancock Victorian Plantations (HVP). Before European settlement in the early 1800s, around 88% of the 23.7 million hectare colony of what
9632-404: The support of Sir Alexander Peacock , who was then the parliamentary representative for the seat of Creswick and later Premier of Victoria . The school's main gates were dedicated to Sir Alexander in 1952. The State Government opened the school on 29 October 1910, attended by a large delegation of dignitaries, Members of the Victorian Parliament, and their companions. The visitors toured
9744-596: The tallest measured living specimen of mountain ash, named Centurion , stands 100.5 metres (330 feet) tall in Tasmania . Whether a mountain ash over 400 feet high ever existed in Victoria is now almost impossible to substantiate but the early accounts from the 1860s are still quoted in contemporary texts such as the Guinness Book of Records and Carder, as well as being widely restated on the internet. Currently
9856-421: The tallest specimen of mountain ash was inside Melbourne Water's Wallaby Creek Catchment at Kinglake being over 300 years old and 301 feet (92 m) high. The height was accurately determined using a ground-based laser rangefinder and then verified by a tree climber with a tapeline, however it later perished along with 15 other tall trees during the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires . Modern Lidar imagery of
9968-497: The tape line one huge specimen that lay prostrate across a tributary of the Watts and found it to be 435 feet from the roots to the top of its trunk. At 5 feet from the ground it measures 18 feet in diameter. At the extreme end where it has broken in its fall, it (the trunk) is 3 feet in diameter. This tree has been much burnt by fire, and I fully believe that before it fell it must have been more than 500 feet high. As it now lies it forms
10080-441: The township of Creswick. The park was fenced to contain the koalas which had been relocated from Phillip Island and was looked after by students as a popular picnic ground with walking trails. Other recreation sites were also constructed and maintained, particularly around St Georges Lake. In February 1977 a bushfire swept through a large part of the demonstration forest and destroyed many fine old stands of timber established in
10192-426: The trees are fewer and at a lower altitude, the timber is much larger in diameter, averaging from 6 to 10 feet and frequently trees to 15 feet in diameter are met with on alluvial flats near the river. These trees average about ten per acre: their size, sometimes, is enormous. Many of the trees that have fallen by decay and by bush fires measure 350 feet in length, with girth in proportion. In one instance I measured with
10304-453: The war efforts. After the war, the first intake of ex-servicemen into the forestry school occurred. Twenty applications were received with four being selected. A further six were later enrolled in 1946–47. VSF students were also subject to compulsory national service training in the 1950s. The forestry profession was not exempt and four students were conscripted to serve in Vietnam in
10416-484: The world's highest tree". His successor, Finton Gerraty personally measured a fallen tree near Noojee after the 1939 bushfires at 338 feet and with "its top tantalisingly broken off". The Mueller Tree grew on Mount Monda north of Healesville , measured 307 feet, and was made famous after a visit in 1895 by a party including Baron Von Muller , Mr A. D. Hardy, from the State Forests and Nurseries Branch, members of
10528-399: The world). They remain the major source of high-quality seasoning timber for furniture, flooring, joinery and pulpwood. The dryer foothill forests contain mixtures of messmate and other commercial species, whereas the Murray River has extensive stands of durable red gum along its banks. Large tracts of mallee desert and box- ironbark woodlands are found in the drier northwest. Tree height
10640-504: The years to come. Nonetheless, the challenges facing the new organisation were formidable, including protecting ecosystems about which little was scientifically understood, and responsibility for vast areas of rugged, remote country about which little was known. The next ten years saw a steady expansion in staff numbers, promulgation of controlling regulations, increased production from the forest, thinning and fire protection works such as fire break construction, together with rehabilitation of
10752-742: Was Hugh Robert Mackay who had been both a Senior Inspector and Secretary to the Royal Commission of 1897–1901 while the first Minister was Donald McLeod and the first Secretary was William Dickson, who was also Secretary for Mines. The creation of the State Forest Department represented the most significant institutional development in Victoria's history of forest management to that point. The fledgling department had 66 staff on 31 December 1900 including, 1 Conservator, 1 Chief Inspector, 1 Inspector, 23 Foresters and 40 Forest Foremen but foreshadowed that it expected to increase over
10864-576: Was administered by the Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) until 1980, when VSF amalgamated with the University of Melbourne to become that institution's School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences. From 1910 to 1980, 522 students completed the Diploma of Forestry at VSF. The supply of professional staff was a paramount concern to Conservators of the early State Forests Department in Victoria. Forestry training really began with
10976-593: Was also acquainted with the Government botanist Ferdinand Von Mueller who named, Eucalyptus perriniana after him. Meanwhile, the gold rush was petering out and Melbourne's land boom of the 1880s was inevitably followed by a financial crash in 1891 , which combined with the Federation Drought from 1895 to 1902, depressed economic conditions for a decade or more. Not surprisingly, the Colonial Government had little appetite for changing
11088-613: Was appointed Principal, a position he held until 1959. The post war intake of students increased to between 15 and 30 with many from New Zealand until a school was opened at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch. By 1965 the responsibilities of the Australian Forestry School were transferred to the Australian National University in Canberra and it developed a four-year Bachelor of Science in Forestry degree and postgraduate research degrees. From
11200-510: Was appointed. He had previous experience in South Australia and Tasmania and despite having little power or authority, was able to appoint a number of foresters over the next 12 years. He produced a report containing a number illustrations to Parliament on 30 June 1890. This visionary report clearly identified the issues and set out reforms to ensure Victoria would have a healthy, diverse and extensive forest estate 130 years later. Perrin
11312-453: Was awarded annually to the outstanding forestry student at the Australian Forestry School from 1928. However, Victoria withdrew from the arrangement in 1930 and instead continued to support the VSF at Creswick, thereby starting a rift within the recently formed Institute of Foresters of Australia (IFA) that took many years to heal. While other states cautiously relinquished their fledgling forestry schools, Victoria continued with supporting
11424-525: Was born in Scotland in 1858 and served his gardening and forestry apprenticeship at Gordon Castle , and after getting married decided to emigrate to Victoria. He worked to establish Maddingley Park at Bacchus Marsh before being recruited to the Forests Department in 1898 by George Samuel Perrin. The School lacked trained foresters to teach specialised coursework, so teachers were recruited from
11536-454: Was created in 1973. The arrangement whereby Creswick diplomates could complete a degree with two years additional study at the university continued. Some VSF graduates continued their studies towards a master's degree or PhD research. By the late 1950s, Commission staff began to produce a stream of peer-reviewed research into the silviculture of key eucalypt species, especially on germination, growth rates and other aspects of productivity. In
11648-494: Was deemed by the Commission and PSB to be equivalent to a Degree for the purposes of promotion and 64 were granted between 1935 and 1983. While the Forests Commission was responsible for the administration of the school and appointment of the Principal, a Board of Forestry Education was created in 1962 (replacing the earlier Board of Examiners) and was responsible for ensuring high academic standards. The new Board grew from 4 to 11 members and included distinguished academics from
11760-410: Was formed and joined the campaign and were active on forest conservation for a prolonged period. The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (FNCV) became involved in 1881. It is surprising and perhaps ironic that organised mining interests, including influential mining parliamentarians, were the early public advocates for forest protection, taking up the cause in the 1860s. Their advocacy was based more on
11872-518: Was included in the curriculum at Creswick up until the 1960s and regular field work in the demonstration forest performing thinning, road works, planting or raising seedlings in the nearby nursery were an important part of the Victorian diploma course. A small park was set aside for the preservation of Koalas by the Minister for Forests, Mr Albert Lind , in November 1942 to mark the centenary of
11984-584: Was later compiled by Mr A. D. Hardy from the State Forest Department in 1911 identifying numerous trees over 300 feet at Fernshaw and Narbethong with similar heights recorded in the Otways and Baw Baw Ranges. In 1929, the Forests Commission set aside a "sample acre" within the Cumberland Scenic Reserve near Marysville . The site only narrowly escaped the 1939 Black Friday bushfires but unfortunately 13 of its big trees were destroyed during
12096-479: Was merged into the newly formed Victorian Department of Conservation, Forests and Lands (CFL) along with the Crown Lands and Survey Department, National Park Service, Soil Conservation Authority and Fisheries and Wildlife Service. After the amalgamation the management of State forests and the forestry profession continued but the tempo of change accelerated, with many more departmental restructures occurring over
12208-466: Was supported by numerous reports and inquiries. The new Forest Act (1907) also recognised that effective management of forests required appropriately skilled staff, stipulating that no person could be appointed to a forestry position without completing a relevant course and passing a special examination, thus paving the way for the establishment of the forestry school at Creswick. The Victorian School of Forestry (VSF), also known locally as "The School on
12320-522: Was that VSF Diploma graduates tended to remain in Victoria throughout their careers while Canberra and Melbourne University graduates tended to occupy roles in other state forestry services. Not surprisingly, there were some lingering rivalries over the perceived class division and unfortunately this had the effect of limiting the interchange of foresters across the State border. However, this undercurrent diminished over time as more Creswick foresters completed tertiary studies at Melbourne University. Until
12432-481: Was then retired, but with considerable experience across the British Empire in both India and South Africa. Australia's first Inspector-General of Forests Charles Edward Lane Poole also an alma mater of the French forestry school, invited Hutchins to tour all Australian States and New Zealand. Hutchins reported in 1916 on the overall parlous state of forest management but wrote enthusiastically about both Victoria and
12544-463: Was to become the State of Victoria in 1851 was tree covered. However, the Victorian gold rush of the 1850s combined with widespread and indiscriminate land clearing for mining, agriculture and settlement became one of the major causes of forest loss and degradation. This caused alarm amongst early foresters and the wider community. Forest management in the late 1800s was chaotic. As early as 1865,
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